Improved air circulation for more efficient heating and cooling of air columns within structures is of great importance since a majority of homes, businesses and manufacturing facilities are now climate controlled. Conventional heating and cooling produces naturally occurring convection currents, which are largely responsible for the inefficiency and increased expense of heating and cooling of structures. Convection currents require the climate control system to overproduce conditioned air to maintain comfortable temperatures. As the costs for energy continue to increase, our energy resources must be used more efficiently. Therefore, better and more efficient means must be implemented to regulate the air temperature of vertical air columns in structures.
The effects caused by convection currents result in warm air rising and collecting near the upper portion of a structure and cool air falling and collecting near the floor of the structure, yielding two distinct areas of divergent air temperature. Convection currents become especially problematic during the cooler months when the heater of the climate control system is activated and must over produce sufficient warm air to offset the convection current effect and raise the air temperature near the floor of the structure. Similarly, during warmer months, the cooler must also over produce sufficient cool air to offset the convection current effect to maintain a comfortable air column temperature within the structure.
It is not unusual that the air temperature at or near the ceiling of a structure can be as much as 25.degree. F. higher than the air temperature at the floor. The improper placement of air outlets in structures, further taxes already overworked climate control systems. The conventional heating and cooling of commercial, industrial and residential structures results in inefficient and increased consumption of energy, increased energy costs, inefficient use of heating and cooling equipment and excessive wear on the climate control system and related equipment. Such inefficiencies and excessive wear cream the potential for premature equipment failure.
Climate control systems will operate most efficiently when the air outlets in structures are properly positioned and air movement within an air column is regulated to offset the effects created by convection currents. Normally, the improper placement of air outlets within structures is quite burdensome to remedy. However, regulating the air movement is relatively easy and adequately overcomes the effects caused by improper placement of air outlets and convection currents. Further, the circulation of warm air during cool periods and the circulation of cool air during warm periods, is substantially less inexpensive as compared to conventional heating and cooling costs associated with the over production of conditioned air to maintain a comfortable climate.
Additionally, while prior art devices such as Dolison, U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,671 circulate air, they do not reclaim heat in a draft-free and wind chill-free manner as does the present invention. The device in Dolision comprises a cooling, heating and ventilation system having ceiling fans 24 in operative association with a plurality of thermostats 64, 70, 78. The ignition of one or more ceiling fans 24 in the Dolison device is not dependent upon the ignition of the climate control system, as in the present invention, but upon the readings of the various thermostats 64, 70, 78. In the heating mode of the Dolison device, when a drop in air temperature is detected by the operative thermostat 78, which is placed at eye level, one or more ceiling fans 24, automatically become activated. Unfortunately, the one and only thermostat 78 which controls the ceiling fans 24 in the heat mode, only detects the air temperature at eye level and can not detect the air temperature at or near the ceiling fans and more importantly, can not detect whether warm air has accumulated at or near one or more ceiling fans. Therefore, activation of the ceiling fans in the Dolison device, creates undesirable drafts and wind chills while circulating air in the heat mode. The present invention seeks to avoid these drafts and wind chills by only operating air circulators in the heat mode, after an accumulation of heated air collects at or near the air circulators. Warm air can only be reclaimed if it is present and accurately detected. By activating air circulators in response to readings of thermostats placed adjacent to the air circulators or delayedly activating air circulators in response to the ignition of the climate control system and only engaging said air circulators after an accumulation of warm air has collected at or near the air circulators, can the movement of warm air be accomplished in a draft-free and wind chill-free manner. These problems are overcome in the present invention by automatically cycling air circulators in relatively short repetitious cycles using time delays for making and breaking the heating circuits.
Therefore, a need exists for an air circulator control apparatus and method for use with one or more air circulators and a climate control system to more efficiently regulate the air temperature of a vertical column of air in a structure, in a draft-free and wind chill-free manner.
It is, therefore, a feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulation control apparatus which during cool periods reclaims warm air at or near the ceiling and during warm periods moves cool air for better forced convection and greater heat removal, despite improper positioning of the air outlets.
Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulation control apparatus for overcoming the adverse results of convection currents and improper placement of air outlets in structures.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus and method for regulating the air temperature of a vertical air column within a structure in an energy efficient manner to achieve vertical air temperature regulation at a minimum of expense.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus for selectively activating and deactivating one or more air circulators to regulate the temperature of a vertical air column of a structure.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus, for delayedly activating and delayedly deactivating one or more air circulators in a structure to regulate the air temperature of a vertical air column within a structure.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus, for delayedly activating and deactivating one or more air circulators in a structure to regulate the vertical air temperature of a vertical air column within a structure without creating drafts and wind chills.
Still another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus to increase the efficiency of a climate control system during heating and cooling operations.
Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus and method to reduce the costs of operating a climate control system within a structure.
Still another feature of the present invention is to reclaim the heated air at or near the ceiling of a structure which may be dissipated into the attic or space above the ceiling.
Still another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus which delayedly activates one or more air circulators after an accumulation of heated air has been collected at or near the ceiling of a structure.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus which continues to engage at least one air circulator within a structure for a relatively short period of time after the deactivation of the climate control system.
Still another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus which moves cool air for better circulation and heat removal within a structure simultaneously with the ignition of the climate control system.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an air circulator control apparatus that is compatible with existing wall switches for easily retro-fitting with said wall switch boxes.